Cohiba Majestuosos 1966

Description

Cohiba Majestuosos 1966 Review
The engine of the
El Cazador
has a rhythm, in fact, a kind of thumping rhythm that sounds like a heartbeat if you listen long enough. It’s a 32-foot sportfisher my grandfather purchased a long time ago when the world seemed wide and not so full. This past Tuesday I was out past the breakwater, salt spray on my face and a whiff of diesel and brine in my lungs. I hadn’t taken her out since the old man died, and there was a heavy absence in the cabin.

Product Specifications

He didn’t have much in the way of money for me — the boat was his real wealth — but he left me a key to a small climate-controlled locker at his club. Hidden within it, like a state secret, was one of those lacquered humidors whose appearance is that of high end furniture rather than a box for tobacco. The cigar was the Cohiba Majestuosos 1966. He had once told me, over a much more modest smoke, that some things were meant for “the big quiet.

Sitting out there on the deck, the sun beginning to burn through morning mist, coastlines all smeared into grey smudges, I realized I’d found my big quiet. I lowered myself onto the bait well, feeling the wood of the boat buzz beneath my boots and pulled out the cigar. You know you’ve got a story the moment you hold something, right? This wasn’t just a cigar; it was a meaty, golden-brown weight in my hand that felt like it should be in a museum, or better yet, clenched between the teeth of someone who had seen everything there was to see.

I uncapped it, felt the wind change and struck a match. That smoke? The Cohiba Majestuosos 1966. And boy, do we need to talk about it.

The Specs
Attribute
Details
Product Type
Cigar (Cuban)
Vitola de Galera
Majestuosos
Construction: A Hefty Handful
The first thing you’ll notice when removing this stick from its holster is the sheer girth of the thing.

A 58 ring gauge is no joke. It’s heavy and sturdy — it practically feels like a piece of history. When I held it, online photo be damned, it felt solid or firm (without having a death grip) that didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. You can see this thing was rolled by someone who wasn’t in a rush.

The wrapper is a gorgeously oily Colorado shade, minimal veins, and has that sheen that glimmers like polished mahogany. I’ve never seen the “Majestuosos” vitola outside of this 50th anniversary edition. It’s not something you see on the Cuban portfolio every day. I must’ve sat there for at least five minutes, turning it over, seeing how the light hit the gold bands.

Let’s go back a step before I even let the flame touch my foot with tongue aroundened lips and take a cold draw. And I have to tell you it was like standing in a fruit market of Havana. I encountered some clear peach and mango notes here, undergirded by a bizarrely pleasant cherry liqueur sweetness. There was a little bit of dry raisin in there, perhaps, like an ancient box of Sun-Maids you’d discover stashed in the back of the pantry.

It was a complex before it ever caught fire. Flavor Profile: The Three Acts
The First Third: Welcome Sweetresses
Lighting up a 58-gauge cigar while the boat is in motion takes a bit of finesse and three torch flames, but when I got it glowing, those first few puffs opened my eyes.

It began with a huge blast of cedar and leather—classic Cohiba but turned to eleven. The creamy quality was what threw me. And it wasn’t just smoke; it was thick, like heavy cream on the tongue. I picked up on some of those rum-like notes I had been smelling on the cold draw, with an undercurrent of graham cracker that made it feel very “dessert-adjacent.” It was a medium bodied start, very easy and approachable but you could sense the power beneath it’s like feeling a shark rub against the side of your hull.

The Second Third: The Spice and the Change
The Majestuosos began to show its teeth as I cruised farther out east into the Atlantic. The creaminess played second fiddle, with the coffee bean notes coming to take center stage. It meatier, if that makes sense. It was savory in a way that made me think of roasted nuts.

But the piece de resistance was that retrohale. I inhaled a wisp of smoke through the nose and — bam — lime zest. It was bright, citrusey, followed immediately with an herbal note I can only place as fresh oregano, or maybe even a little paprika. It didn’t have that burning Nicaraguan pepper-bomb heat; this was complex, tingly spice.

The robustness was turned up to here, stepping squarely into full-bodied territory. I was sitting back, letting the boat drift, just trying to keep up with the flavor shifts. ROUND THREE: THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
When I reached the nub, the cigar was still running on all cylinders. The right one did, and it felt like I was drinking a freshly-swept floor.Haarrr.rn But the blackout’s espresso notes turned heavy and oily as they pigwrestled with said noticeable nutmeg flavor that clung to the back of my palate.

The finish was long — I mean 30 seconds at least where the flavor just sat there, lingering to remind what I was smoking. Oddly enough the strength actually felt LESS for SOME reason at the very end, dropping back down again to medium-plus. It never became bitter or hot, which is a testimony to the quality of that Vuelta Abajo leaf. I smoked it down the nub, until it was heating up my fingertips and the bands were ages away.

The Pairing: What to Sip?

Now, normally, when I’m on the water I am a coffee guy (complete with my boat lunchbox that has “Go Away” written on it), but for a cigar of this magnitude, I had gone into my grandfather’s special stash before setting sail. I possessed a flask of (something) dark/ syrupy / aged Cuban rum. The rumish sweetness was a perfect complement to the cedar and espresso notes that ran through the Majestuosos. If not, a very strong, black Cuban espresso with a splash of brown sugar might do the trick.

You want something with guts to stand up to that 58 ring gauge, or the cigar will walk all over your drink. The Verdict
I smoked my fair share of cigars in all shapes and sizes, from floor-sweepings in Vegas to some of the rarest sticks in London, but I’m telling you: The Cohiba Majestuosos 1966 is on another level.

It’s not a “quick smoke while you mow the lawn” scene. This is a two-hour commitment. It’s a cigar that forces you to sit, shut up and pay attention. Is it for everyone?

Probably not. size, alone will scare people off and the flavor profile is so busy it might overpower the novice. “It gives a relatively seasoned smoker from any country an opportunity to enjoy the quality of what Habanos S.A. can put out when it really wants to show off.” It’s an appropriate salutation to the brand’s 50 years.

I threw the nub into the boat’s wake and watched it bob away, feeling a little closer to the old man. He knew what he was doing when he left this one for me. It’s a strong, pungent smoke that doesn’t have to scream to be heard. If you should ever find yourself holding one of these, have your “big quiet” handy.

You’re going to want to savor every puff. Final Thoughts:
A flavor bomb with a construction that tight as shit man.

The trajectory of Woodford’s core bourbon takes switchbacks, not linear curves, from fruit to spice to dark espresso. If you can get in, it shouldn’t be a hard decision. It is an experience, pure and simple.